The invention relates to a switching arrangement for remote controlled electrical loads which may be selectively actuated either individually or in groups by at least one command transmitter providing a control signal, from one or a plurality of stations, with the signal being conducted over a low voltage circuit to the switching device, which in turn is operatively connected over electrical lines to at least one electrical load device.
A switching arrangement of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,706, which discloses a converter, operative to convert and amplify command transmitter signals, disposed in a low voltage circuit. The converter is connected to extremely flat command transmitters which are free of wall housings, etc. by foil lines adapted to carry voltages of less than 4 volts and a switching power of less than 1 watt. The converter, in turn, is connected to the switching device by lines adapted to carry voltages of between 4 and 24 volts, with the switching device being adapted to control load devices involving voltages greater than 24 volts, for example 220 volts. The foil lines, constructed in known manner, may be in the form of a flat strip which can be utilized without wall channels, conduits and the like, and disposed virtually flush on the mounting base, for example, a wall or the like.
The command transmitters may also be secured, for example, by gluing, to their cooperable base structures, with the transmitters, per se, being in the form of mechanical-electrical energy converters, particularly Hall generators, field plates or piezo-crystals. It is also possible to employ inductive or capacitive transmitters, as well as structures employing mechanical contacts. In such an arrangement, a separate line is required for each load device or for each group of load devices and their associated command transmitters. Consequently, the number of conductors in the foil line must, for example, be equal to the number of the load devices to be controlled. Further, the foil connection lines between a command transmitter and converter must be so designed that the length thereof will not be too great. For example, when capacitive transmitters are employed, the problem arises that the line capacitance of the connection lines must be small in comparison to the capacitance of the transmitter. For economical reasons, a further problem exists in connection with the standardizing of components, switching devices, converter and command transmitters, as well as the connection lines between the respective components.